Apprehension and concern have lost the battle to enthusiasm and determination.

Local runners, volunteers and spectators who were part of last year’s infamous Boston Marathon refuse to be deterred from returning this year. In fact, the deadly bombings that shook the world last Patriots Day seem to have only strengthened the resolve Greater Fall River men and women to be part of Boston 2014.

“I have no doubts or regrets about entering the marathon again,” said Susan Darmody, 49, of Westport. A year ago, Darmody was about a half-mile from the finish line of her first marathon when the race was stopped cold. The Boston Athletic Association, which runs the Boston Marathon, invited the non-finishers from 2013 to join the 2014 race.

“I joined my charity group again in Newton and Silvia School raised over $650 for the charity,” said Darmody, a second grade teacher at the Silvia School in Fall River. “Also, The Back Eddy restaurant is having a running shirt made for me to wear. People seem excited and have been supporting me throughout my training. I really needed it since the weather has been brutal to run in. I feel ready and determined to cross the finish line.”

Laine (Bigos) Hardman, a former field hockey and softball player at both Case High School in Swansea and at Providence College, finished Boston last year before the two explosions near the finish line. She lives in Alexandria, Va., with her husband and four children, and is running again this year, with clear memories of Boston 2013.

“I met my family after I finished the run and we were walking back to our hotel,” Hardman said. “I was going to walk up one street but I knew it would be close to the finish line and very busy, so we went up another block. We were on Bolyston Street — which was closed to cars — about two blocks from the finish line when we heard the first bomb and saw the smoke. Initially, I thought it was a Patriots Day re-enactment, but that was never done in the past and it was so close to the finish line.

“Then, we heard the second bomb and knew it was something. We walked away from the race, toward our hotel. Then, police were swarming the area and we were sure that something bad had just happened. I called my husband and told him that something big and bad had happened but we were safe and together. We ducked into a liquor store to watch their TV and saw graphic photos and heard that people had lost limbs.”

Like so many others, Hardman, who will turn 44 on race day, has refused to let the deadly bombings of a year ago keep her away from what is a very special event in her life.

Page 2 of 3 - “I qualified, which is very difficult for a recreational runner like myself,” she said. “I love to run Boston, it is a great experience, and 2013 won’t change that.”

Friends John Riley of Somerset and Boston Marathon veteran Lenny Silvia of Westport were working as race volunteers just beyond the finish line, near the medical tent, a year ago. They are back this year, though with the BAA armed with a glut of volunteers, Riley and Silvia are headed for the opposite end of the course — the start line in Hopkinton.

Check-in time there for volunteers is 5:30 a.m.

“That’s fine. We’ll be done earlier,” said Riley, owner of The Ski House in Somerset.

Once their work is done, Riley said, he and Silvia plan to head into Boston to watch the race, joining Fall River’s Billy Sullivan, who was with them a year ago at the finish line.

Silvia, who ran Boston for 26 straight years before health issues ended that string in 2002, said there was never any hesitation about coming back for 2014, even if the BAA did not have room for him.

“It’s part of my life now,” said Silvia, 67, a retired mail carrier. “I ran 26 in a row. I was going back whether official or not.”

The casualties of last year’s bombings were spectators, so the anxiety level might be expected to be higher among them. If so, it isn’t keeping Darmody’s or Hardman’s families away from lending up-close moral support this Patriots Day.

A year ago, Darmody’s husband, Chris, and adult daughters Katie and Lindsay, were waiting at the finish line when the explosions occurred. The trio plans to be back again this year, with a lot of company. The Darmody contingent figures to be much larger than it was a year ago. Between family and friends, it’s shaping up in the 20-25 range.

Chris said there was never even a thought Susan avoiding the race, nor of the family staying away. “None at all,” he said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. If you don’t go because (of 2013), then the whole plan behind what those two guys did worked.”

“There are always safety concerns when thousands of people congregate,” said Hardman’s mother, Joy Bigos, of Swansea, a secretary at Case Junior High School for 35 years. “However, the city of Boston is taking a very proactive approach to the marathon this year. There are quite a few new regulations for the runners and also spectators.”

Page 3 of 3 - Part of the price of participation this year’s Boston Marathon is increased hassle.

This year, the bag size limit to bring to the start line is 15 inches wide by 5 inches tall, with a 5-inch bottom, about the size of a fanny pack. Larger, clear plastic bags (18-by-18-by-4) — for a change of clothes and shoes, drinks, etc. — are being provided by the BAA. At Boston Common race morning, those larger bags can be left on buses which will then be parked at a designated pickup spot more than a mile from the finish line.

Spectators are strongly encouraged not to be hauling backpacks. Those who do will be subject to a bag search by law-enforcement authorities.

As a runner for charity, Darmody has the latest start time, 11:25 a.m. Her group is meeting at Boston Common by 6 a.m. to catch a bus to the start. That leaves a lot of down time in Hopkinton, where the BAA is creating a waiting area called the Athletes’ Village.

“The other big difference is spectators will not be allowed to go on the course,” Darmody said. “Many people (have) had family members run the last mile with them as I hoped my daughters would do with me. That will not be allowed this year. I understand it is to keep everyone safe. It is just sad how we have to live these days.”